Heartbeat
by KDMOSP
Summary: "You are not going back into the field until I have a doctor's clearance.." Hotch stopped and looked at her. Something was very, very wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: New story! I am really stuck on Exhale, but will get it eventually! Please review for this one, and if you have any idea what is wrong with JJ, go ahead and guess!**

Spencer Reid watched his friend, concern evident on his features. Something was very wrong with his friend, and despite all the knowledge Reid had; he could not figure out what was ailing the young woman.

She looked, quite frankly, like death warmed over. Dark circles under her eyes stood out against her pale skin, she looked tired, worn out. She simply looked sick.

And Reid knew she was sick, and that was about all he knew. Because JJ refused to provide him with any other information.

"JJ.." Reid began, hoping to convince her to tell him something. Anything.

"Reid. Drop it." JJ warned, her voice low.

"I'm just worried about you." Reid shook his head as he was finally able to make eye contact with his friend. "You're sick, JJ. You need to see a doctor." He knew it was of no use- he had been trying for the last few days to convince her to go. But she was too damn stubborn and refused to even consider the absurd notion.

"Reid." She paused, and Reid watched as she took in a deep breath. "I'm fine." JJ forced a smile but Reid immediately saw straight through it.

He pursed his lips together. "Fine." Reid stood up, pushing back the chair as he did. "The chief left a few boxes of documents for us. Hotch wants it back at the hotel. Do you mind grabbing a few boxes?"

The look JJ shot up at Reid, gave him all the information he needed. It also added to the mounting fear growing in his stomach. He walked to her side and offered her her coat. "JJ.."

"Stop." She growled angrily, snatching the coat from his hands. "I. Am. Fine." She hissed as she bent down to pick up one of the boxes.

Reid could only watch. It was painfully clear that JJ had no intentions of listening to him; at this point is only other option was Hotch. And he was not sure he was ready to enter that minefield- JJ would never forgive him.

"Alright." It was not alright, but there was nothing more he could do about it.

"Thank you." She nodded, and bent down to pick up the remaining box. The heaviest box. "What's in here?" She asked, lifting it and shifting it in her arms as she began to follow Reid down the hall.

"Not sure, Hotch just asked us to grab them and bring them back to the hotel."

JJ nodded, but did not speak as the two walked down the hall.

It was halfway down the second hallway, that she finally gave in. "Spense.." She gasped and placed the box down. "Give me a second." She bent down and placed her hands on her knees, desperate to catch her breath.

Reid, did nothing, but stood there; knowing not to push JJ any further. He knew she had to be embarrassed.

It was when he reached over and grabbed the box, lifting it into his own arms, that JJ finally spoke.

"I had the flu. I went to the doctor and I am fine now. I am just slow to heal I guess.."

"You had the flu three weeks ago, JJ." A pause. "This is something else."

"I'm tired.."

"You slept the entire way here.. we just got here a few hours ago."

"Fine!" She turned to look at him, white in the face. Reid was not sure if it was from anger.. or that she was fighting so hard to breathe. "Fine. Dr. Reid, then you tell me what is wrong with me because you seem to know everything about me. Go ahead." She pushed.

"Did you get a clearance from the doctor before coming back to work?" It was an innocent question, at least he thought so.

But JJ, if possible, got angrier.

"I'll see you back at the hotel." She told him, walking off.

"JJ.." Reid started, holding out the keys to her but she had already disappeared around the corner. He would much rather see her drive, then walk. Because deep down inside, he knew she would never be able to make it the mile to the hotel. At least not on foot.

With a heavy sigh, Reid reached into his pocket and grabbed his cell. The person picked up after the first ring.

"Hotch." Reid began. "I need to meet with you immediately." A pause. "It's JJ."

Aaron Hotchner bit the inside of his lip as he listened to what Reid had to tell him. And the more Reid spoke, the more Hotch grew concerned. After all, if Reid was telling him something was wrong, Hotch had no reason to doubt it.

The line he was unsure if he was willing to cross was what stopped Hotch from moving forward.

He understood Reid's concerns, he had had them himself. He knew JJ needed to be seen by a doctor, but to force her to do so was something he questioned. Sure, he could remove her from the field until she had a doctor's clearance, and right now- that option was sorely tempting.

"Hotch- she was gasping for breath after carrying a box down a hallway." Reid explained as they sat in the hotel lobby.

"Do you know where she's at?" Hotch asked, looking up frequently to see if his agent had walked through the lobby doors.

"She said she was on the way back. I was going to offer her the keys so she could drive, but she was gone before I could.."

Hotch nodded. "Call Garcia, tell her we needed the nearest emergency room that can get us in immediately." Come hell or high water, Hotch was going to ensure that JJ saw a doctor that day.

And he knew it might come down to that. JJ was stubborn and hardheaded, but she was ten times worse when she was sick. He had no other option than to threaten taking her out of the field. If that didn't work- he had no other cards to play.

"Hotch." Reid interrupted his thoughts. "Garcia tracked her phone.. she's about a block away."

Hotch only nodded, mentally preparing himself for battle. And when JJ walked in, Hotch knew there would be no battle. JJ was going to go to the hospital.

"Make sure a car is up front." Hotch spoke softly to Reid. "If I manage to convince her to go, I just want her to get into the car.. if there is any delay, she'll change her mind." He knew his agent well enough, he knew how her thought process worked.

"Morgan is coming." Reid responded as they approached JJ.

She looked worse than she had when he had last seen her.

"JJ." Hotch stopped her.

"Hotch." Her voice was soft, low.

Hotch stepped close to her, preventing her from passing him. "You need to go to the hospital." He whispered, not wanting to humiliate her in the lobby.

He watched as her eyes narrowed, before looking behind him and landing on Reid. "How dare you." She spoke, glaring at her friend.

"JJ." Hotch grabbed her arm and gently lead her to an empty business area. "I am going to ask you to go to the hospital.."

"I don't.." She started.

"You are not going back into the field until I have a doctor's clearance.." Hotch stopped and looked at her. Something was very, very wrong.

"I do not need a damn doctor!" She spoke through her teeth, obvisouly irate at the entire situation. "I need you and Reid to leave it alone." She huffed as she grabbed the back of the chair she was standing near.

"Agent Jareau.." Hotch warned, shocked at her attitude.

"No, Hotch." He heard it then, a small dip in her voice, and he caustiosouly took a step towards her. "I am tired. That is all." She took in a deep breath. "Henry has been sick." Another breath. "And I.. " Another breath. "Have been up.."

Hotch took another step towards her as he noticed her sway on her feet. His eyes met Reid's and slowly both agents moved closer to their friend.

"Taking care of him." She gasped out.

Hotch heard it as it got closer to her, and it scared him as the relization hit him. JJ coudn't breathe. "Sit down." He ordered as she looked up at him.

He knew. He knew right then and there that something was going horribly wrong with the young agent. He saw it in her features, in her expression and as she let go of the chair, he rushed forward.

He caught her just as her body gave out and she collapsed in his arms. "JJ!" Both he and Reid shouted as Hotch gently placed her on the ground, his fingers immediatly going towards her neck.

He searched. And searched again.

He couldn't find a pulse. She had stopped breathing. And without a moments hesitation, Hotch pressed his lips to hers and began forcing oxygen into her lungs, as his fists went to her chest.

JJ had stopped breathing, and until the ambulance got to the hotel, he and Reid held JJ's life in their hands.


	2. Ron

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews! And nobody has guessed what is wrong with JJ yet :) Keep guessing!**

Ron Paxton smiled as he made his way into the hotel lobby, his long work week was finally over and soon, he would be back on a plane headed home. He had been in Portland now for a week, and while the annual emergency medicine physicians conference had been enjoyable, nothing beat sleeping in your own bed.

He was rolling his suitcase up to the front desk, when a woman caught his attention. She was beautiful, petite and blonde, but it was not what held his attention. Instead, something else did.

She was sick. He could spot that a mile away- and he briefly wondered if she knew it. She had to… nobody walked around that sick without knowing it. Ron briefly considered going to talk to her, but stopped when he saw that two men had approached her and guided her to another room.

Content that she was at least safe, he headed back to the desk, and got in line to check out and pay for the mini bar he had polished off last night.

"Hello Dr. Paxton, did you enjoy your stay with us?" The clerk asked, smiling up as she typed something into the computer.

"It was great. Thank-y.." He did have time to finish, he was interrupted by someone shouting to call 911; that they needed help.

Without a second thought, Ron turned and headed into the direction where the shout had came from.  
He was not in the least bit surprised to find the woman he had just seen, laying on the floor; but he was surprised to see a man in a suit performing CPR.

"What happened?" Ron sank next to them, pressing his fingers to the woman's neck. She had no pulse, just as he had expected. "Where is the AED?" Ron shouted, looking for someone to bring the defibrillator.

"Right here." A young woman ran in, the case in her hands.

"Do you know how to use it?" Ron asked, reaching over and tearing off the woman's shirt.

"Yes." The employee replied as she and Ron worked quickly to get the machine set up.

"Good. I need you to continue CPR." Ron looked to the man who simply nodded. Every once in a while, Ron could hear the other man mutter something along the lines of "C'mon JJ."

"Okay. Stop!" Ron reached over and grabbed the man's hands, stopping the CPR. And listened to the commands of the machine. As the automated machine analyzed the need for a shock, a million questions were running through Ron's mind.

"Has this ever happened to her before?" He asked quickly, not taking his eyes off the woman.

"No." The man responded, clearly out of breath from the physical exhaustion of the CPR.

Ron shook his head, wondering what had caused her to just drop into cardiac arrest.

"Shock needed." The machine spoke up and Ron looked around.

"Nobody touch her." He warned and pressed a button. The woman's body jumped slightly and Ron said a tiny prayer that she had a pulse. When he pressed his fingers to her neck, he closed his eyes.

Again, CPR was started and again, the machine announced another shock was needed.

"C'mon kiddo." Ron breathed, pressing the button again. Again, there was nothing and in the back of his mind, Ron knew the longer it would go, the woman's chances would fade.

The CPR was still going on.  
He prayed and hoped and sighed when another shock was needed.

"One more time." He told everyone and pressed the button. Everyone held their breath as they finally heard sirens in the background.

And then.. then he saw the man smile as he pressed his fingers to the woman's throat.

"She's got a pulse." He announced, sitting back on his feet.,

Ron reached over and checked as well, and nodded. "She does."

But as he looked at the pale woman, he had to wonder. What in the hell had just happened to her?


	3. Liz

**A/N: Nope. Nobody had guessed it yet! Some have come close..**

Hotch let out of the breath he didn't know he was holding as soon as his fingers felt a small, weak throb beneath them. It wasn't much, but it was there, and right then, Hotch was excited for it. A pulse was a pulse- and when the gentleman helping Hotch confirmed a pulse; Hotch allowed himself to sit back down on his feet; occasionally wiping the sweat from his brow.

CPR was just as physically exhausting and demanding as he remembered it to be. His arms felt like jello from the prolonged CPR but he would do it all over again, as long as it kept JJ breathing.

"What happened?" The man sitting with them asked, keeping his fingers on JJ's neck.

Hotch was prepared to answer when he saw the paramedics running in; and once they were there, Hotch finally allowed himself to step back.

"Sudden cardiac arrest," Hotch heard the man explaining to the paramedics as they began working on JJ. He tuned out everything else, and simply focused on JJ.

He watched as gentle, gloved hands gently pressed a bag to her face- and then- without warning, Hotch watched as JJ seemed to spring to life.

In an instant, the woman was fighting as if she had never fought before. Shaking away any attempts to hold her down, and fighting to sit up.

"Honey!" The female paramedic reached forward. "You are okay! We are not here to hurt you. Shh." She urged, trying to push JJ back down.

Instead, JJ fought harder and before he knew it, both Hotch and Reid were struggling to hold the woman down.

"We need to sedate her." Hotch heard one of the medics say.

"JJ!" Reid spoke up, getting close to her face. "Look at me." He commanded, and Hotch watched as he got close to her face, making sure she could see him. "JJ, it's okay, you are okay!" He said softly, taking her hand in his own. "JJ, we are right here, nothing is going to happen, you are safe."

Reid repeated it like a mantra and everyone sat back as he calmed the terrified agent.

"There you go." He whispered softly and helped to lie her back down. "Just look at me." He ordered and nodded to the medics, signaling them to go ahead and try again.

"Honey, my name is Liz." The female medic spoke softly. "I need to start an IV, okay?" She didn't wait for a response and stuck the needle into JJ's hand with skill. "There ya go." She whispered tapping the device down. "We're just going to get you all fixed up- you're pretty sick."

Hotch bit his lip as he watched the exchange; as he watched one of the medics place their stethoscope to JJ's chest, as he watched JJ's eyes begin to droop again with Reid still whispering to her.

He had been trained to watch for body language, and that was exactly what was scaring him right then. The paramedics, although their voices were low- were worried. That much was obvious.

"JJ," Liz spoke up again. "I am worried about your breathing right now. We need to put a tube down your throat, okay? You won't feel anything except sleepy." Liz explained as she pushed medication into JJ's IV. Almost instantaneously, JJ's eyes closed.

And with a nod to her partner, Art quickly tilted JJ's head back and slipped a tube down her throat. It was all done so fast, that Hotch barely had any chance to process the magnitude of what had just happened.

"Alright, go ahead and lets do the ECG." Liz said, placing stickers to JJ's chest.

It took an entire minute, before Liz was able to get any sort of reading.

And the look on her face told Hotch everything he needed to do.

"How is she?" Hotch asked softly, looking back down at JJ; although in some aspect, already knowing the answer. JJ was sedated and intubated after sustaining cardiac arrest. That did not happen to someone who was healthy..

"Sir," Liz shook her head. "She needs a hospital. Now."


	4. Emily

**AN: So, some of you have kinda guessed it! LOVE the reviews. Thank you!**

"Shit." Emily Prentiss muttered as she saw the fire truck and ambulance parked in front of the hotel. She needed to find Hotch, give him an update, but traffic was now at a stand still. She groaned inwardly as she looked to see if there was anyway around the traffic.

Nope. She was stuck. She sighed and shifted the car into park before rolling her neck around as the sky opened up and began to pour.

"Of course." Emily whispered. At least she wasn't stuck out in it like the first responders. That would suck even more than being stuck in traffic. She glanced up, hoping to shoot one of them a sympathetic look, instead. She froze.

Hotch was there, along with Reid and Morgan. Immediately, Emily turned the flashing lights on and jumped out of the car, rushing over. Every single worst fear raced through her mind. Had someone been shot? Stabbed?

"Hotch!" She reached his side in record time, heading straight for the gurney.

"Prentiss." His voice told her everything she needed to know. "It's JJ." He spoke softly. "I don't know what happened, she went into cardiac arrest. They are transporting her to the hospital right now."

Emily could only nod, unable to stop the few tears that trickled down her cheeks. "I need you to go with her."

Emily didn't question it, instead she rushed to her friend's side and took her hand. "JJ." She shook her head before reaching over and gently moving a stray strand of blonde hair out of JJ's face.

"Ma'am?" Emily looked up to see one of the medics speaking to her. "We need to get her to the hospital. Are you coming?"

"Of course." She spoke, but stopped and reached over. "Sorry, JJ." She said softly, and removed JJ's gun from her side, before passing it off to Hotch.

Emily climbed into the ambulance and took a seat next to her friend. A million thoughts running through her mind. And as the ambulance started moving, those thoughts only increased and became darker. Emily knew that a healthy person did not just drop like this- and she began to wonder if someone had done this to JJ? Had someone intentionally hurt her friend?

She had seen enough evil in the world to know it was entirely possible, and JJ did have her share of enemies. But what in the hell could have simply caused her heart to stop?

"How far away from the hospital?" Emily asked the medic that was looking over JJ.

"Not far, maybe ten minutes."

Emily nodded, ten minutes was okay.. although Emily wanted her in the ER now.

She swallowed and licked her lips. "Do you think she knew something was wrong?"

The medic smiled. "I don't know ma'am. With all respect- I am not even sure what is going on."

Emily nodded. "But you suspect something?"

Again the medic stopped. "Ma'am, I am the paramedic, the doctor is going to have to talk to you about…"

He stopped talking, just stopped and Emily eyes shot back down to JJ.

"Move!" He ordered Emily and before she knew what was happening.. Emily heard a horrific alarm began ringing in the ambulance.


End file.
